Kitchen Princess

Having found this from a recommendation sending me from Beauty Pop to here, I wasn't expecting much. But I must admit, I got more than I was hoping for. The story maybe isn't the most original, but in the world of shoujo manga, what is these days? The female protagonist, Nijika, as a young girl is saved by a mysterious boy who tells her "When you eat something good, you smile." These words, a flan dessert, a spoon with the engraving of a famous academy named Seika and her promise that she will one day make him the best dessert ever, stick with Nijika, until she studieshard and gains entry to the prestigious Seika academy - all to find her 'Flan Prince'. I was incredibly impressed with the pacing of this story, having read it in a day its still very fresh in my mind and I applaud the way the writer has done it. Often a story can be too rushed or too slow to pick up - especially one with only 10 volumes but is a fully-fledged story. For example, shoujo's can very easily become a minefield of 'filler' chapters reverting back to cliches when its moving too slowly. Or, on the other hand, it can just seem to go too fast, the main character seemingly jumping into a relationship with the guy faster than I can click my fingers. Saying that, this story definitely falls back on those oh-so familiar plot lines. There is a love triangle, controlling parents and love rivals littering the path of this poor heroine's quest for love and ultimate success. But I think it's refreshing the way the writer approaches them. Or maybe its the fact this story is full of plot twists I was definitely not expecting, which almost made up for the cliches. The art was incredibly well done for a cutesy shoujo. Sometimes the characters can go from one look to another in a matter of panels, giving us unfamiliar looks to our favourite characters we've come to know so well. This definitely wasn't the case here, the characters stayed true to form beginning to end. Talking of the characters, they were all developed fairly well. Nijika is an admirable heroine, and didn't change throughout the whole thing - and stayed stronger than I would of in those sorts of situations. The two main male protagonists were developed to the level acceptable for a 10 volume shoujo, though no more than necessary. The few other filler characters there were, were kept up to date and involved throughout the series, something I'm always pleased to note. So reading this, you'll probably wondering why I didn't give it a full 10 marks - considering how much I seem to be raving about it? I think for me, it was because, while it is an enjoyable manga, by no means did it break the boundaries. Having read classic shoujo such as Mars and Akuma to Love Song, I don't believe this shoujo did anything but stick to the boundaries of the said genre, and stick to them well. However, if you've got time and your looking for a enjoyable and fairly well done manga, I'd definitely recommend this.

Kitchen Princess is an interesting and extreme Shojo-y Shojo manga. (If you read it, it makes sense) Spanning 10 volumes, it manages to hit many great story points in a manner that seems wholly believable. Is it cliched? To an extent. But then again, it's a Shojo manga, if you're surprised by cliches in this genre, you're proabably not the biggest reader of it. Two quick things: Whoever you think the "Flan Prince" is, wait until the end of volume 10 to see if you're right. This manga also gets very ...heavy starting in the end of the fifth volume. Overall though, it is avery enjoyable manga that has already been released in its entirety in the U.S., so if you can, try and pick it up at your local bookstore (or just read it there, like I did).

Simply put, it's a sugar-encrusted dessert of a manga. More elaborately put...well, let's start simply with the characters. Our protagonist Najika has a tragic history, but is an excellent cook and seems to be a very kind, caring and generally nice person. A little bit of a Mary-Sue, but not horrible. Our two male leads don't have much background when we first meet them, and though this does change later, we still aren't very sympathetic with their love for Najika. The supporting cast is mediocre at best, most of the characters fitting easily into stereotypes without much pushing and shoving. The tragedy of Najika's past is continually putinto the spotlight, so that, I can only assume, readers feel more sympathy for her than they would otherwise. It was fine in the first five or six volumes, but by #9 it was just ridiculous. The art is okay, it's nothing super-special. The food is drawn well with enough detail so you can tell exactly what it's supposed to be, but it's no mouthwatering gourmet meal leaping off the page. This story is perfect if you're a younger reader looking to start out with a nice simple manga that's easy to read and enjoy, but if you've been reading for a while and are past the stages where you gape over the huge eyes and flip confusedly through the pages reading the wrong way, Kitchen Princess won't satisfy you. Pros: -Good for younger readers. Cons: -Plotline is overused. -Characters come off as stereotypical. -For $10.95 USD a volume, I would say it isn't worth the money. Recommended? No.